2/3/2022

The Science of Reading: Why Didn’t We Learn What We Needed to Know in College?

By Donna Hejtmanek, Former Educator and Founder of “Science of Reading–What I Should Have Learned in College” Facebook Group

Originally recorded for EDVIEW360

Research shows a gap between what teachers know about reading and whether or not they are prepared to teach it. Why are teachers graduating from college without the skills they need to teach reading? Join former educator Donna Hejtmanek as she discusses this topic and shares the story behind creating her incredibly popular Facebook group “Science of Reading—What I Should Have Learned in College.”

During this podcast, Hejtmanek discusses:

• Why schools and school districts continue to discount reading research
• The biggest challenges teachers face teaching the science of reading
• Suggested resources for teachers looking to learn more

Guest Speaker

Donna Hejtmanek retired after 41 years of teaching special education and serving as a reading specialist/interventionist. She has served as president of the Literacy Task Force of Northern Wisconsin. In 2014, she was appointed by Gov. Scott Walker to Wisconsin’s Read to Lead Literacy Council and served on The Legislative Council Study Committee on the Identification and Management of Dyslexia in 2018. This resulted in Wisconsin’s first dyslexia bill, Act 86, signed into legislation in 2019. Hejtmanek was awarded the Herb Kohl Teacher Fellowship Award in 2016. She currently serves as legislative chair for the International Dyslexia Association® Wisconsin branch. Now, in her third year of retirement, she spends her days creating professional development opportunities for teachers and administers her Facebook group, “Science of Reading—What I Should Have Learned in College.”